Nick Heidfeld F1 Profile & Career Stats

Nick Heidfeld F1 Biography

Nick Heidfeld

‘Quick Nick’ Heidfeld was one of the hottest young prospects in the mid-90s and went on to become a solid and consistent F1 performer for 11 years.

Although he was never given the opportunity to race for one of the big boys, Heidfeld proved he was one of the quickest drivers around and will go down as one of the best drivers never to win a Formula 1 race.

The German’s big break came at Prost in 2000, after a couple of years of testing with McLaren who it seemed were grooming him for a race seat. Heidfeld partnered the experienced Jean Alesi, and the pair struggled to get the best out of an awful car despite showing flashes of speed.

In 2001, he switched to Sauber and beat his rookie team-mate Kimi Raikkonen on points and was favourite to succeed Mika Hakkinen at McLaren.

However, the team picked Kimi Raikkonen instead, which greatly upset the German. It must have been tough for Heidfeld to take. He had all the credentials to excel in a title chasing team.

The knock back seemed to affect his confidence as a couple of mediocre years passed him by, including being beaten by the much older Heinz-Harald Frentzen in 2003.

Nick Heidfeld driving for Jordan in 2004.

Sauber dumped both drivers at the end of that year, and Heidfeld went on to join Jordan. This re-invigorated him as he rediscovered his lost mojo and, although the car was poor, he had arguably his best ever year in Formula 1.

Three points finishes don’t do his performances justice but Heidfeld was a man possessed in a poor Jordan car. And in 2005 he finally got his reward with a drive at Williams.

The famous British team had been competing for world championships in previous seasons, but 2005 was the start of a new order in F1 and Williams were the victims as they fell down towards mid-table.

Heidfeld took pole at the Nurburgring and scored a couple of podiums, including a brilliant second in Monaco, but he missed the last five races after injuring himself in a crash at Monza.

Heidfeld returned to Sauber in 2006, although they had been taken over by BMW. The German was the spearhead of the team’s aggressive aim to get to the top of the sport. An encouraging season, which saw them come fifth in the Constructors Championship, was followed by a brilliant 2007.

Polish driver Robert Kubica joined Heidfeld, who admitted that the talented Kubica had made him push harder than he has ever had to before. The results spoke for themselves. He never qualified lower than ninth and was clearly the best of the rest behind McLaren and Ferrari.

In the races, he scored points in all but three races and finished twice on the podium. In Hungary, he drove faultlessly to keep Fernando Alonso’s McLaren behind and take second in a mature performance. At the end of the season, he scored 61 points and came fifth in the standings.

Sauber BMW one two finish of Canada 2008

The following year, BMW expected to improve again but whereas Kubica excelled and even won a race, Heidfeld struggled. His driving style didn’t suit the car and, although he finished second on four occasions, he found qualifying very difficult. BMW’s day in the sun came in Canada where Kubica won and Heidfeld came second.

After a difficult 2009, which heralded just 19 points, Heidfeld left the team and saw opportunities become very limited. Just two seasons after being a regular podium finisher, Heidfeld was without a drive in 2010 after BMW pulled out of the sport.

Stints as Mercedes and Pirelli test driver filled his time, but towards the end of the 2010 season he was brought back by Sauber in place of Pedro de la Rosa. In 2011, he filled in for the injured Kubica at Renault-Lotus.

Another podium, which saw him equal the record for the number of podiums without an F1 win, and 34 points, saw him dominate his team-mate. But their dumped him half-way through the season after a dispute.

Heidfeld, by now in his mid-30s, became an unpopular option for a sport chasing younger drivers, meaning his F1 career was over.

For a driver who was tipped for great things, Heidfeld wasn’t given the break he deserved. He spent his best years in poor cars but did prove what he could do when finally given the chance. He goes down as one of the best drivers never to win a F1 race.

Official website: http://www.nickheidfeld.com

Nick Heidfeld Championship Results

Nick Heidfeld F1 Seasons Summary

Year	Team	Engine	GP	1st	2nd	3rd	Pod	Pole	Laps	FL	Avg Pts	Points
2011	Renault	Renault	11	0	0	1	1	0	564	0	3.09	34
2010	BMW Sauber	Ferrari	5	0	0	0	0	0	269	0	1.20	6
2009	BMW Sauber	BMW	17	0	1	0	1	0	893	0	1.12	19
2008	BMW Sauber	BMW	18	0	4	0	4	0	1112	2	3.33	60
2007	BMW Sauber	BMW	17	0	1	1	2	0	1026	0	3.59	61
2006	BMW Sauber	BMW	18	0	0	1	1	0	981	0	1.28	23
2005	Williams	BMW	13	0	2	1	3	1	720	0	2.15	28
2004	Jordan	Ford	18	0	0	0	0	0	907	0	0.17	3
2003	Sauber	Petronas	16	0	0	0	0	0	873	0	0.38	6
2002	Sauber	Petronas	17	0	0	0	0	0	965	0	0.41	7
2001	Sauber	Petronas	17	0	0	1	1	0	764	0	0.71	12
2000	Prost	Peugeot	16	0	0	0	0	0	625	0	0.00	0

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  10 Jun 2021

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  6 Dec 2020

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  8 Sep 2020

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